Pakistan Women vs South Africa Women Match 11 Full Commentary

We are all set for the chase to begin. Laura Wolvaardt has walked out in the middle with Sune Luus to open for South Africa Women. Spin straightaway as Sadia Iqbal will be bowling the first over for Pakistan Women.

... The Run Chase ...

Mid-innings Pitch Report from Sana Mir - She notes the conditions have not changed much but says there is plenty of spin on offer. She points out that Pakistan have around 16 overs of spin at their disposal and references the way Mlaba bowled as the blueprint. She stresses that bowling on those lengths will be the key to Pakistan finding success with the ball.

Shabnim Ismail, SA pacer - On the surface, Ismail notes it was a completely different wicket compared to the Australia game. She credits Marizanne Kapp's powerplay bowling for setting the tone and giving South Africa the momentum they needed. On coming back from retirement, she says it feels surreal and she is still processing being back. Says she is loving every moment of being out there with the girls in the green and gold.  About Pakistan's batting, she singles out Fana for praise, calling her contribution towards the end excellent. She is honest about what could have been done differently during Pakistan's fightback. She says they should have gone to their slower balls much quicker and that the bowlers who came on at the death could have read the wicket a bit faster and adjusted their plans accordingly. On what South Africa need to do to get over the line, she says it comes back to backing their skills. Admits that the first game did not go their way, but the message is simple in the ground. Stresses that the batters need to put their heads down and get the job done. She backs them to do it on a wicket like this, even if it will not be easy.

Kapp inspires disciplinary Proteas attack - The Proteas' bowling performance was nothing short of exceptional, brilliantly orchestrated by Marizanne Kapp, who took wickets at will to finish with stellar figures of 3 for 23. Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka supported the pace barrage perfectly, picking up one wicket apiece to keep the pressure mounting on the batters. Interestingly, it was not a happy hunting day for the South African spin contingent, who went entirely wicketless on the slow surface, leaving the seamers to do all the damage. At one point, Pakistan were 50 for 8 but the Asian side fought hard and have ended up with 126 for 9.

Lifeline partnership rescues tottering innings - South Africa's relentless bowling attack refused to let any meaningful partnerships brew, consistently breaking through whenever Pakistan attempted to rebuild. A visibly frustrated Fatima Sana watched her batting order crumble from the non-striker's end, and at one point, it looked highly unlikely that Pakistan would even play out their full quota of 20 overs. However, a resilient ninth-wicket stand between the skipper and Tuba Hassan provided a critical lifeline, pushing the team toward the 120-run mark to help them bat through the overs and give their bowlers something to fight for. Sana top-scored with an unbeaten half-century, while Tuba batted well for her 23.

Disastrous Powerplay leaves Pakistan pinned - Pakistan Women's team endured a nightmare outing with the bat, as despite a fightback from Fatima Sana and Tuba Hassan, they posted 126 on the board. After confidently electing to bat first, Pakistani skipper Fatima Sana would never have envisioned such a dismal performance from her side. The innings simply never got off the ground, as South African speedster Marizanne Kapp struck on the very first ball of the match and claimed two wickets in an explosive opening over. From that early double-blow onward, the Asian side found themselves completely pinned to the wall, unable to recover from the initial shock.

Nadine De Klerk to bowl the final over of this innings.

Ayabonga Khaka comes in to bowl her 3rd over.

That's a wrap - It was a day that had everything cricket could offer. Australia Women set the tone in Leeds with a dominant, one-sided win over Bangladesh Women. India then raised the bar, posting their highest-ever T20 World Cup total to hand the Netherlands a crushing 95-run defeat. And just when you thought the day might end in a similar fashion, South Africa were made to huff and puff to secure their first two points of the tournament with Pakistan pushing them to the very edge. That's that from here, then. Thursday, 18th June features another deliciously exciting contest in the making. West Indies Women take on Scotland Women at Leeds, Headingley and the first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 5.30 pm GMT. But do make sure you join us for the buildup in advance. Until then, we sign off. Cheers!

A game of nerves at Birmingham - Probably the first game of the tournament that went this close. South Africa will take two points, but they nearly bottled up a modest run chase. They now take a trip to Manchester for one of their biggest challenges as they face a rampaging Indian side, on Sunday, 21st June. But they will have a lot to improve on, especially their vulnerabilities against spin that resurfaced once again. For Pakistan, they are still searching their first win of the tournament, and the door is gradually shutting on them to qualify. They will now travel to Southampton for their next fixture against Bangladesh Women. That game will be played on Saturday, 20th June.

The captain of South Africa Women - Laura Wolvaardt says they will take the points and move on, calling it a lovely way to start the campaign. She details that Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail were excellent, adding that it is great to have them bowling in tandem. Speaking about Fatima Sana’s knock, she says they are aware of the threat and try to keep her off strike, noting that Fatima has played even more aggressive innings against them before. On Annerie Dercksen’s fifty, she says the power she possesses is incredible, highlighting her ability to clear the ropes with ease. She adds that teams can sometimes go into a shell while chasing a low target, but Dercksen played positively and took the pressure off. Looking ahead to the fixture against India, she says the surface is quite slow and expects similar conditions in Manchester. She points out that India have world-class spinners and adds that the team will take key learnings from the innings played by Dercksen and Nadine De Klerk, both of whom handle the situation really well.

The captain of Pakistan Women - Fatima Sana says that they just could not get over the line despite showing plenty of fight and intent. She admits that execution let them down, even though the plan was to take the game deep, a call that was made collectively by the team. She further adds that they are still searching for a win and, while she is enjoying the journey of leading the side, acknowledges that there is a long way to go. She also underlines the need for more composure and sharpness in the field.

... Let's hear it from the two captains ...

A game that refused to follow a straight line - But just when things seemed under control, Kapp and Dercksen fell within the space of six deliveries, tilting the game once again. The lower order felt the squeeze as Pakistan kept chipping away with timely strikes. In the middle of all the chaos, Nadine de Klerk held her nerve, producing a crucial cameo under pressure to take her side to the brink. She eventually fell with the scores level. In the end, Pakistan were left to rue their fielding lapses and inconsistency in lengths, which handed out too many freebies. Those are areas they will need to address going forward.

Far from being clinical - It was a scratchy chase by the Proteas, no second thoughts about it. They lost their openers, Wolvaardt and Luus, very cheaply, and were reduced to 53/2. But given the magnitude of the target, that was still a comfortable position to be in. But Pakistan refused to back down. With as many as many as 16 overs of spin in hand and the surface beginning to slow, offering plenty of grip and turn, the likes of Sadia, Nashra and Tuba applied the brakes and dragged the contest right back into the balance. But it was the skipper, Fatima Sana who really turned the screws by picking up big wickets at crucial times. South Africa needed a rescue act from someone, just like Sana did for Pakistan. They found it in Annerie Dercksen, who played a fantastic counterattacking knock, scoring a crucial half-century, but kept losing partners at the other end.

Pakistan's collapse, Fatima's rescue act - A first-ball wicket set the tone and Pakistan never truly recovered in the Powerplay. Kapp was brilliant upfront with three scalps, Ismail and Khaka chipping in with one apiece as the batting order crumbled under relentless pressure. The specialist batters came and went, with only the skipper showing any real fight. For all the raw batting talent this team has, it far too often falls to the basics, playing across the line, little footwork, and poor running between the wickets. And that last part cost them dearly, four run-outs through shambolic mix-ups draining any hope of a recovery. But Fatima and Tuba dug in together and launched a stunning counter-attack, putting on 71 off just 54 deliveries to drag Pakistan from the depths and post a fighting 126.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - For her valiant, match-winning knock, Annerie Dercksen receives the award. She scored a crucial 52 (35), which ultimately proved to be the turning point. Dercksen expresses relief and happiness after securing the win, noting that while the current conditions differ greatly from her recent fifty in New Zealand and adds that previous success serves as a valuable reference point. She credits the team management for granting her the freedom to play her natural game at number three, which allowed her to successfully target her match-up against Shamim. Describing the experience of representing her country as surreal, Dercksen finds it incredibly special to share the crease with her childhood heroes Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp, with the latter even coaching her through options during the middle overs.

A T20 World Cup classic - What an entertaining game we have just witnessed in Birmingham. It went right down to the wire, testing nerves in both camps, with the Proteas coming out victorious. However, they would admit that they were miles, miles away from being clinical. Plenty of praise for Pakistan despite the loss, they fought with immense heart and spirit till the very end. Just imagine, with another 15 to 20 runs on the board, the result could have been very different. But it is all about what-ifs for Pakistan now, as an underwhelming batting effort, along with costly lapses in the field, came back to haunt them. But they will take a lot of heart with the way they kept pushing the 2023 and 2024 finalists to the deep waters.

Dear me! What a drama towards the climax. South Africa need just 1 run to win, but they are making this hard for themselves. Ayabonga Khaka is in at number 10.

The game refuses to follow a straight line. With just 2 runs needed, Shabnim Ismail is the new batter in at number 9.

Could well be the final over of the game. South Africa Women need just 3 runs to win from 24 balls. Fatima Sana returns. 2-0-13-1 so far.